Domestic shipments of beer and beerlike beverages fell 9.3 percent in April compared with a year ago because of a plunge in "third-category beer," industry data showed Tuesday.

Total shipments came to 40.1 million cases, the lowest for April since tracking of beer shipments began in 1992.

The year-on-year drop was the largest since the 12.1 percent decline during a cold snap in December 2005.